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Community Member Spotlight - September 2006
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The Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD)'s Story

To date, more than $40 million has been raised for nonprofits through items sold on eBay. Meet Spdauction1, better known as the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD), a voluntary welfare organisation in Singapore who has just discovered eBay.

 
 

Q. How did the SPD get started? Was it difficult?
A. Through the help of volunteers from the eBay Community in Singapore, a group of Education Specialists lent their time to teach our members the basics of getting started. Selling on eBay is easy and empowers our members to raise funds by tapping on their entrepreneurial instincts.

Q. What drew the SPD to eBay?
A. eBay is a wonderful platform for our members to earn some money and contribute to their household income. The best thing about selling on eBay is that they can work from the comfort of their homes and sell to the world. The site offers a safety net for our members who are new to eBay. Sellers are protected with the policies eBay has in place. With over 200 million users and a global reach, SPD decided to leverage on the strength of eBay to reach out to a worldwide audience across the globe. We are able to harnesses the technology of the Internet to advance our fund-raising techniques

Q. What merchandise does the SPD list on eBay?
A. We have developed our own range of merchandise which we sell on our Web site. SPD produces leather-bound photo albums and gifts items which are well received by the communities in the US and Europe region. The merchandise that SPD list on the eBay are items such as:

      • Digital art
      • Computer accessories
      • Handmade journals and notebooks
      • Gifts

Q. What tips would you give to other non-profit organisations who would like to start an online channel to sell their merchandise?
A. Start small and achieve the confidence in the selling. Buy some products from eBay and understand the mechanism. Subsequently, search for the current pricing of similar items on the eBay and establish your best price. Once you have achieved the understanding of selling on eBay, then you can go on a larger scale to sell more items. There are vast opportunities for creating awareness of your products and services via eBay. eBay has given us a new avenue for turning donations that were heretofore unusable items into much needed financial support.

See what SPD offers on eBay!

About the SPD
Established in 1964, the SPD was set up to assist the physically disabled who were unable to find work in open employment. SPD provides rehabilitation, education, consultation and assessment in assistive technology, training and employment opportunities so as to enable physically disabled people to achieve independence.

The SPD Ability Enterprise is a training and employment centre for people with physical disabilities.  Those with moderate to high functioning skills at the Enterprise engage in a range of activities depending on their interests and abilities, from creating customised photo albums to packing, letter shopping, and even Web design, data entry and video editing, all to earn an allowance or a salary for the job done.
Find out more …

 
Check out the merchandise that SPD list on the eBay